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Paris – 8 January, 2019– The Internet Society, a global non-profit organization dedicated to the open development, use and evolution of the Internet, today announced it has launched a working group to address the privacy and security risks in Internet of Things (IoT) devices in France. As the annual winter sales shopping season in France begins tomorrow, the organization aims to raise awareness among consumers of weak security in many Internet-connected products.

While global deployment of IoT has been massive, adoption is still early. A survey of 1,027 French adults conducted by OpinionWay on behalf of the Internet Society France Chapter in June 2018 indicates that only 30 percent of those surveyed between the ages of 18-30 have a connected device. Three out of four participants (76 percent) agreed that IoT/connected objects pose some kind of privacy and security risk and half of respondents said they would have more trust in these devices if they bore a label guaranteeing protection of personal data. For more findings, please review the summary of the OpinionWay IoT survey, “The French and Connected Objects.”

The IoT Working Group is part of a broader effort by the Internet Society to raise awareness of the security risks inherent in the use of IoT-connected devices. The organization is encouraging manufacturers of consumer IoT devices to adopt “security by design” and build security into their products based on internationally agreed standards and best practices.

The Internet and its users face an increasing risk of cyber threats because more unsecure consumer devices connect to the Internet every day. According to Gartner, the number of devices and systems that make up this Internet of Things is expected to reach 20.4 billion by 2020—more than 2.5 times the global population. Poorly secured IoT devices and services can serve as entry points for cyber-attacks, compromising sensitive data and threatening the safety of individual users.

“Currently, not enough is being done to strengthen the security and privacy of consumer IoT devices. We’re urging suppliers of consumer-grade IoT devices and services to adoptour IoT security and privacy principles in the production of their devices. Adoption of those principles will protect the network, its users, and critical information infrastructure from cyber threats,” said Frédéric Donck, European Bureau Director, Internet Society.

Founding members of the IoT Security Working Group include AFNIC (French Association for Internet Naming and Cooperation), ANSSI (National Agency for the Security of Information Systems), ARCEP (Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications and Posts), CINOV-IT (Professional Chamber of Small and Medium-sized Digital Enterprises), Conseil National du Numérique (National Digital Council), La Quadrature du Net (Squaring of the Net advocacy group), Nokia, and Pôle Systematic Paris-Région (Ile-de-France business cluster).

“ARCEP has identified the Internet of Things as one of the priority areas in its strategic review. This includes ensuring the availability of scarce resources (numbering, IP addresses, network codes, access to frequencies, etc.) to support the emergence of networks for the Internet of Things and smart territories, said Pierre Boutot, ARCEP’s Technical Advisor for Spectrum, Technologies and Innovation.

Considering the rapid development of connected devices, by the end of 2019, the multi-stakeholder IoT Security

Working Group plans to publish concrete recommendations on strengthening IoT security. Given the technical nature of the issue, the Working Group is open not only to the public sector and civil society, but also to industry who have a critical role to play. “If companies are in the business of selling smart devices, they need to embrace security and privacy by design, and implement responsible privacy standards and policies to protect users, before calling their devices smart,” said Constance Bommelaer de Leusse, Senior Director of Global Internet Policy for the Internet Society and co-chair of the IoT Working Group.

As a long-standing, trusted intermediary between technologists, end-users, advocates, business leaders and policymakers, the Internet Society and its France Chapter are uniquely positioned to support policymakers shape legislation by putting forth solutions and recommendations for more secure IoT deployments.

“This is a perfect match for the subject matter expertise and collaboration that we are known for,” said Lucien Castex, Secretary General of Internet Society France Chapter, co-chair of the IoT Working Group, and Université Sorbonne Nouvelle Research Associate.

Founded by Internet pioneers, the Internet Society (ISOC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution and use of the Internet. Working through a global community of chapters and members, the Internet Society collaborates with a broad range of groups to promote the technologies that keep the Internet safe and secure, and advocates for policies that enable universal access. The Internet Society is also the organizational home of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

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